Main Street: A Power of Place Podcast

Jazzing Up Downtown (with John Chan)

Welcome to Downtown Woonsocket! John Chan, owner of Chan's Fine Oriental Dining, takes us inside a corner of Main Street that has been feeding and entertaining its community since 1905. From Canton, China to a jazz stage in Rhode Island, John shares how one family's journey across the world landed on a single block and never left. Along the way, he reflects on what it takes to build a legacy business, what Woonsocket's Main Street has been through, and why a great meal and live music might be exactly what a downtown needs to survive. Show Notes: Chan's Fine Oriental Dining: https://www.chanseggrollsjazz.com/ [https://www.chanseggrollsjazz.com/] Ye Olde English Fish & Chips: https://www.woonsocketri.gov/business-directory/ye-olde-english-fish-chips [https://www.woonsocketri.gov/business-directory/ye-olde-english-fish-chips] Stadium Theatre: https://www.stadiumtheatre.com [https://www.stadiumtheatre.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=277867832&gbraid=0AAAAADjQiND5pxJTxntq5AGNt6MmGcH4Y&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8PDPBhCeARIsAOJwmWVJC4FahXdtds96E7zHypHDMTALegM1DGTrO-tQyGLN6kEjxP0-oGYaAi_oEALw_wcB] East Coast Greenway: https://greenway.org/states/new-england/rhode-island [https://greenway.org/states/new-england/rhode-island/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23732376893&gbraid=0AAAABDT3Q-NdDdVoyYrSZevTZiYWZkV2g&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8PDPBhCeARIsAOJwmWXgxhYEfXaO13FGwq8BF37NjJAyGo9eVfloe7ZFJ1yo84RY5i6Bk4IaAljiEALw_wcB] Museum of Work & Culture: https://www.rihs.org/locations/museum-of-work-culture/ [https://www.rihs.org/locations/museum-of-work-culture/] Main Street RI Website: https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/ [https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/] Mailing List: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp]

Staging a Comeback (With Representative Joshua Giraldo)

Welcome to Downtown Central Falls! Joshua Giraldo, State Representative and Central Falls native, takes us inside a city that rebuilt itself from the ground up. From municipal bankruptcy to packed parks and a restaurant scene that spans the globe, Joshua shares how investing in public spaces, embracing a fiercely diverse community, and refusing to let a hard chapter define you can transform a Main Street district into a place worth showing up for. Show Notes: La Casona: https://www.lacasona-ri.com/ [https://www.lacasona-ri.com/] El Paso: https://www.facebook.com/elpasorestaurantri/ [https://www.facebook.com/elpasorestaurantri/] Mimi & Pop's: https://www.facebook.com/mimiandpopsicecream/ [https://www.facebook.com/mimiandpopsicecream/] Jenks Park: https://www.centralfallsri.gov/parksrec/page/jenks-park [https://www.centralfallsri.gov/parksrec/page/jenks-park] Veteran's Park: https://www.centralfallsri.gov/parksrec/page/veterans-memorial-park [https://www.centralfallsri.gov/parksrec/page/veterans-memorial-park] Lupita's: http://ordertaquerialupita.com/ [http://ordertaquerialupita.com/] Main Street RI Website: https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/ [https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/] Mailing List: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp]

Tracing History (With Tim Cranston)

Welcome to Post Road in North Kingstown! Tim Cranston, Town Historian of North Kingstown, takes us on a 400-year journey along one of America's oldest Main Streets. From indigenous trading paths to military base boom-and-bust cycles, Tim shares how understanding a place's diverse history and centering the voices often left out of the narrative can transform how we see our communities and inspire meaningful revitalization. Show Notes: North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce: https://www.northkingstown.com/ [https://www.northkingstown.com/] Post Road Business Alliance: https://postroadnk.org/ [https://postroadnk.org/] The View From Swamptown: https://www.independentri.com/view_from_swamptown/ [https://www.independentri.com/view_from_swamptown/] NoKo Coffee: https://northkoffee.com/ [https://northkoffee.com/] Seabee Museum: https://seabeesmuseum.com/ [https://seabeesmuseum.com/] Main Street RI Website: https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/ [https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/] Mailing List: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp]

Navigating Change (With Helen Baskerville-Dukes and Dwayne Keys)

Welcome to Mount Hope in Providence! Helen Baskerville-Dukes and Dwayne Keys, leaders of the Mount Hope Community Center Business Alliance (and partipants of our Main Street Learning Cohort!), chat about their new initiative to support local entrepreneurship. We discuss the importance of community centers in supporting needs, navigating gentrification and displacement of residents, and building up the local main street community. Show Notes: Mount Hope Community Center: http://www.mhccri.org/ [http://www.mhccri.org/] Billy Taylor Park: https://share.google/7d2F0lvmuAQVPpI32 [https://share.google/7d2F0lvmuAQVPpI32] Mount Hope Learning Center: https://mthopelc.org/ [https://mthopelc.org/] Oak Bakeshop: https://www.oakbakeshop.com/ [https://www.oakbakeshop.com/] Holy Name Church: https://holynameprovidence.org/ [https://holynameprovidence.org/] Frank & Laurie's: https://www.frankandlauries.com/ [https://www.frankandlauries.com/] Main Street RI Website: https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/ [https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/] Mailing List: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp]

Taking the Leap (with Alex DiGregorio)

Welcome to Centredale in North Providence! Alexandria DiGregorio, owner of North Providence's newest bookshop, shares her journey of opening a brick & mortar, the challenges and triumphs of being a young entrepreneur on a main street, and the importance of books in building social connection. Show Notes: Forget Me Not Fables Bookshop: https://forgetmenotfables.com/ [https://forgetmenotfables.com/] The Valley Breeze Article: https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/north-providence-getting-a-bookstore-forget-me-not-fables/article_9b773189-a709-4e48-97f4-5d0d53506b00.html [https://www.valleybreeze.com/news/north-providence-getting-a-bookstore-forget-me-not-fables/article_9b773189-a709-4e48-97f4-5d0d53506b00.html] Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce: https://www.nrichamber.com/ [https://www.nrichamber.com/] North Providence Town Hall: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zgcdr94fZNU3XLeCA [https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zgcdr94fZNU3XLeCA] Sweet Deliveries Bakery: https://sweet-deliveries.com/ [https://sweet-deliveries.com/] Cook & Dagger: https://www.cookanddagger.com/ [https://www.cookanddagger.com/] Rhode Island Billiard Bar & Bistro: https://www.ribbb.com/ [https://www.ribbb.com/] Main Street RI Website: https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/ [https://growsmartri.org/main-street-ri/] Mailing List: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp [https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/kOxcWFp]